Clinical trials are supposed to test drugs and therapies that can save lives and improve health care. But they can also prove fatal. And in India, no less than 49 babies died in clinical trials during the last 2.5 half years.

Drug regulatory bodies such as the US FDA and the European Medicines Agency (EMeA) are tightening regulatory requirements and require that new drugs be thoroughly tested in children before they can be approved for marketing. The question is who, where, and how? No parents in the western world would ever consent that their children be used as test subjects. As expected, more and more drug companies are moving their clinical studies to less developed countries where economic reasons and illiteracy make people easy prey.

Indian network IBN Live reports that 42 pediatric clinical trials have been conducted by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) during the last 2.5 years involved 4,142 babies, about 3,000 of whom were younger than 1 year. And 49 of these babies died.

Big deal! 49 out of over 4000 babies. That’s only 1.18% mortality rate.

But you know what? One lost life is one too many even if it’s in the name of science. Leave our babies alone!

While the rate of accidental deaths in children in the U.S. have been declining steadily over the years, there is still room for improvement. Safe Kids USA has recently published the findings on their study. Some of the revelations show that childhood injury deaths have declined from a high of 15.4 per 100,000 in 1987, to 8.5 per 100,000 in 2005. This is cause for celebration, but injury accidents in childhood is still the main cause of deaths kids aged 1-14.

The study emphasizes that these deaths are preventable, caused by a range of events such as drowning, car accidents, fires and burns. One alarming trend seems is the 21% increase in death by suffocation for those children under 1 yr. old. The study shares that this increase may be from co-sleeping, or from soft pillows and other bedding.

What You Can Do As Parents:

• Take the time to baby-proof your homes.
• Ensure proper child-safety restraint is used at all times when driving your children.
• Never leave your child unattended in any water, no matter how shallow.
• Make sure your infants do not have any unnecessary bedding in their crib. Swaddling, a light blanket or a sleep sack may be best.

Here are some other links to help you keep your children safe:

Don’t Skip a Step with Child Passenger Safety

How to Use Your New Baby Crib Safely

Childproofing Your Home